One of the first things that I always tell people who are just learning how to teach their dogs some basic dog training techniques is the simple phrase, “What is heel dog command?” After they have heard that phrase a few times, they usually shake their heads and think to themselves that is so silly. Then they go off and search for more information on the internet to try and find out what is heel dog command.
I’m sorry but I have to be straight up with you. There is no such thing as a universal command word for dogs. In order for a dog to understand what is heel dog command he must be taught it. Teaching your dog to heel can be done through patience and persistence.
When I first got my puppy “Fido” all I wanted to do was to make Fido walk, play tug of war and run around the house like an excited little dog. So I got him his leash and leashed him to his “pen”. That was about three weeks ago and I still have not found that perfect dog that will walk beside you without ever turning his head or jumping on you. What has become very apparent is that the only way that I can properly teach him what is heel dog command is by using a clicker. I am not going to get into why a clicker is so important in this article.
After I have used a clicker I have become a believer in the method of conditioning my dogs to heel. The click is telling him to heel and the treat is telling him to stay. I have two very special dogs that I use this method with on a regular basis. Below I will give you a brief description on how I am conditioning my dogs to heel.
I started conditioning Fido to heel about a year ago. My other dogs were all barking at every sound, and Fido was no exception to that rule. He started when he was about three months old. I started giving him positive reinforcement and treats for when he stayed in one place instead of jumping everywhere. After a few months of using the heel dog command with success I began using the clicker approach.
During the clicker phase I still used the positive reinforce and treats approach for Fido. One day, while Fido was still on a roll, I took him to the spot that he needed to stand. Before I said the word, Fido started to heel. When I said the word again, he turned around and walked away. This is where my dogs started to suffer from heel confusion.
I did not want to hurt my dogs, so I started clicking while I was training Fido to heel. Within a week, Fido was standing with both feet on the ground. After he got the hang of the heel dog command, I found out that by clicking while he was heel walking he was learning to heel dogs in the opposite direction. By moving his body in that direction, he learned how to heel. I realized that I had to change the clicker command for heel movement, but I was still having a lot of successes with him learning it.
When Fido is about to turn, I click and say, “Flip your heels”. Then I will move my hand slowly closer to his belly button and click, “Flip it”. I then move my hand closer to his neck and click, “Rotate your heels”. After doing this exercise twenty times, I will have my dog walk forward and turn his head in the opposite direction, just like he learned to heel in the beginning.